


The misadventures of an awkward dilettante and an agreeable farmer

by colorfullnothings



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-09-28 21:50:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17190932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colorfullnothings/pseuds/colorfullnothings
Summary: A newly appointed Pokemon Trainer is off on her whirlwind adventure. With many trials and tribulation ahead of her, she will have to try and navigate the wonderful world of Pokemon with the help of her Pokemon and friends.Or in other words: New trainer has no idea what she's doing, but she's going to wing it and hope for the best.





	1. Surprises all around

Today is the day. After lugging myself out of bed and getting myself dressed I hop on downstairs to the kitchen. When I sit down at the table I'm greeted with a purr as Snips rubs up against my leg. I smile down at her and place her in my lap.

"You excited, kiddo?" Mom asks as she puts a plate of breakfast down in front of me.

I nod, "Yeah! Though I'm a bit nervous," I let out a laugh to show my nerves and pet Snips as she sniffs my food.

Dad plops himself down in his seat after pouring all of us some juice, "Don't you worry. If you don't pass you can retake the test after a week or two."

"Yeah," Mom adds as she sits herself down, "And there is nothing wrong with retaking the test. Aunt Carla had to take it three times before she passed."

We all share a laugh at the thought of crazy Aunt Carla. "I'll keep that in mind," I smile as I give Snips a piece of my pancake, "Should I take Snips with me?"

"If you want to," Mom answers kindly.

I'm going to try and become a trainer and get my starter Pokémon today. I'm a little bit late age-wise, but getting a starter here is a lot different than in the games. People can get Pokémon no problem, but in order to battle other people, you have to go to your local Gym or Professor and take a test. Most kids want to battle, so they take the test as soon as they are old enough (9-11 years old) and get their first Pokémon. Hence why they are called "starter" Pokémon.

I was thrown into this world later on in life so I'm just now taking the test. And in all honesty, I don't really have any Pokémon. Mom's Delcatty, whom I've nicknamed Snips, is a certified therapy Pokémon who I hang out a lot with but she's not really mine. Snips was one of Mom's first Pokémon back when she used to battle. Now it's my turn to get a Poke and travel, just like Mom did.

"-keeps coming back. I think Mitch is going to try and catch him," Dad says as I tune back into the conversation.

"You mean that Wartortle?" I ask as I cut up my pancake and pour syrup on it.

"Yes. Mitch actually got to touch him yesterday," he answers and stuffs pancake in his mouth.

"How long has the Wartortle been coming to the Day-Care?" Mom asks after taking a sip of her juice.

"A week?" I ask Dad.

He nods, "About a week."

Dad works at the towns Day-Care and Mom works at the Retirement Home. I work part-time at the Day-Care with Dad. It's actually lots of fun! I've learned a bunch about Pokémon behaviors, which eggs correspond to which Pokémon, and such. Lately, a wild Wartortle has been camping around and stealing food. But now I guess Mitch is going to try and befriend it.

I slip Snips another piece of pancake and sip some juice as Mom gets into talking about her job and how Mrs. Sparksan keeps hoarding paper cups for her Cinccino to chew up. And we share more laughs and smiles. Mom is one of the most beautiful people I know. She is not someone who needs to wear makeup to bring out her beauty, she's one of those people who always looks perfect. She has long black hair that she keeps up in a high ponytail and beautiful green eyes. Dad was a sailor before he met Mom and his muscular build and never fading tan show it. He has golden brown eyes and short sandy hair. I don't really look like either of them, but I look more like Dad than I do Mom.

Besides them looking great together, they have one of the best relationships. But to be honest, most people here are like that…My fork hits my empty plate and I look down at Snips with an unamused face. She purrs loudly and rubs up against my chest as she licks her lips. I roll my eyes with a smile on my face and finish up my juice. I place her on the ground when I finish and place my things in the sink.

"I don't have work today," Dad says, "You can take my bike to the Professor's lab."

I smile and kiss him on the cheek, "Thank you!" I move over to Mom and kiss her cheek.

"You got this," she smiles at me and squeezes my arm.

"Thanks. I love you guys!" I yell over my shoulder as I make my way to the front door and grab my bag. "I'm taking Snips with me," I slip out the front door.

Snips trots alongside me and then sits patiently on the front steps as I get Dad's bike ready for her. I hook on the front basket and shove its weather-resistant pad into it and then go and grab Snips and place her in. I walk the bike out of our front gate and then hop on.

"Here we go!" I tell Snips as I begin to pedal down the road.

I wave to people as I pass them. Most people use bikes or roller skates instead of cars. (You have to get a special certificate to drive cars or trucks out here.) My legs have gotten amazing since I've lived here. I pass the Day-Care and wave at the people in the yard.

I wonder what kind of Pokémon the Professor has. I live in Sinnoh so you would think my choices would be Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup. But I learned that there aren't any set starters, whatever the Professor or Gym Leader has is what you get to choose from. I really hope Professor Fern has good Pokémon. I wouldn't say I hate any Pokémon, but I do dislike a few and I pray that Fern doesn't have those few Pokémon.

I pull up to the Professor's lab and park my bike in front of the building. I carry Snips in my arms and make my way into the lobby room. Three other people are already in there waiting for the test to begin, well…three small kids. I sit down in one of the chairs that line the right wall and watch the kids as they buzz excitedly.

"I want a Houndour!" the boy smiles at the other two girls.

"I want a Bonsly! It's so cute!" one of the girls sequels back, "What about you, Kiki?"

The last girl squeals back, "Happiny!"

I can't help but smile at their excitement. I can only imagine how grown up they feel trying to get their Trainer cards. The girl who wanted the Happiny notices me as I pet Snips and she runs over.

"Are you trying to become a Trainer too, miss?" she asks with an excited smile.

I nod, "I am. Are you excited?"

She nods with her whole body, "Uh-huh! I'm going to pass and take down the Elite Four!"

‘ _Take down_ ' holy shiz this girl is not messing around.

"Can I pet your Pokémon?" she asks with her hand already hovering over Snips.

"Go ahead, she's super soft."

She strokes Snips and giggles, "Hey, guys! Come touch this Skitty!" she yells over her shoulder at her friends.

Her friends run over and begin to pet Snips, who is purring as loud as she can.

The boy corrects the little girl, "This isn't a Skitty it's a Delcatty."

"I was close enough." She answers back with sass.

They stay with me and pet Snips until Professor Fern comes out and greets us, "Welcome! I cannot wait to see all of you get your Trainer cards today."

She leads us through the double doors behind her and down a hallway. On both sides of the hall, there are huge windows looking into lab rooms where various scientists and Pokémon are running experiments. The four of us stare in awe as we watch the scientists. We continue to a more official looking room without windows. We all find seats at the big oval table and Snips sits in the chair next to me.

"You all will have thirty minutes to finish this test," Fern says as she passes out the packets of paper that were sitting in the middle of the table to each of us, "No looking at other people's test and do not rush. After you all are done I will go a grade them and then tell you your results."

Once we all have tests and pens, she pulls out a stopwatch and says, "Start…now!"

I read over the questions carefully as I go along. Having to learn a whole new alphabet was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I used to joke that I was dyslexic before moving here, but now I feel like I actually am. I reach out and pet Snips to calm myself down. I got this, I just need to chill.

After what feels like a lifetime the timer goes off, "Alright kids, please make sure your name is on your test and hand them to me."

I flip to the front page to check my name then get up and hand it to her. We all sit back down in our seats as she moves to the far corner and begins to grade out tests. The little kids begin asking each other how they thought they did and what answers they put for what question. Kiki turns and gives me a thrilled thumbs up and I return the gesture. I hope she can get herself a Happiny, she deserves it.

Fern taps the papers on the table to straighten them and then stands up, "Happy news everyone…you all passed!"

The three kids absolutely lose their minds and I sit there in shock. I did it? Like…I actually did it?

She smiles at us proudly and leads us out of the testing room to a more scientific looking room. It's huge and metallic, there are lots of complex looking machines with blinking lights and buttons. A couple of assistants turn and smile at us as we walk in. They go off to a corner, pick up some pokéballs from the desk and then stand next to Professor Fern.

"I am very proud of all you. This is a new and exciting step towards your future. With a Trainer Card, you can now battle other Trainers, Gym Leaders, and even the Elite Four. And to go with your Card you all will be given the newest Pokédex-" she pauses to let the little ones squeal in excitement "-I hope this tool will help us here at the lab learn more about Pokémon and world around us. Now, for the moment all of you have been waiting for…picking your Starter Pokémon!"

Snips sits down on my foot as the assistants let the Pokémon out and the children run around looking at all of them.

I look down at her and say in a low voice, "I'm going to let them pick first and then I'll go pick. Are you going to help me?"

She meows back at me and closes her eyes like pets do when they are happy. I bend over and scratch her head and then go back to watching the kids. That's when one of them lets out a high pitched scream. Snips and I jump in fear, only to see Kiki holding a Happiny to her chest. I hold back a laugh as I watch her snuggle the small pink Pokémon.

In the end, the little boy chooses a Pansear and the girl picks a Roggenrola. Then the assistances round them up and lead back to the front to go get their pictures down for their Cards. Even when the doors shut you can hear them talking loudly about their new Pokémon.

Fern lets out a happy sigh and then looks over at me and Snips, "Hello, Lenore. How have you been?"

She was there for my family and me when I first came here. "I am very good, Professor. I'm excited to get my very own Pokémon," I smile.

She rubs her hands together, "Good! I saved some other Pokémon for you since you're older and have more experience with Pokémon."

"Oh, thank you! You shouldn't have-"

She waves my words away, grabs me and pulls me to the desk where the pokéballs were before. She opens a few of the drawers and then pulls out four pokéballs. Snips sniff at them once she places them down on the desk. She paws at one in particular until I pick it up.

"Oh! That one is a wonderful pick. Here, let me introduce you." Fern takes the capsule from me and opens it up.

A Riolu pops out and looks up at me with bright red eyes. The tops of its ears just reach my hips and it has wonderful looking markings. The colors of its fur stripe into each other to give it a softer transition for its markings. The soft yellow is not just around its neck, but also on its ‘eyebrows' and back. And the black cuts off high up its chest, rather than the normal coattails, and the black socks are lower than normal Riolu. Its blue is just a shade softer than normal.

"Oh my goodness…" I breathe out with awe and sit down criss-cross on the floor, "Hello!"

It gives out a happy bark and takes a step closer to me.

"Is he not a doll?" Fern smiles down at us.

I nod, a bit speechless. Working at a Day-Care you see a lot of eggs and hatchlings. We have a certain log to keep up with the different variations we see as Pokémon go through, but I have never seen such beautiful coloring as this Riolu.

"Some of the other scientists have been training him. He would make a wonderful companion," she says as she pets Snips.

Fighting-types have never really been my forte, but something about this little guy makes me want to give the type a chance. I put out my hand to let him smell me and boops me with his nose once he sniffs me.

That's it. This is my Pokémon.

I look at Fern with adventure, "I'll take him."

She smiles wide and claps her hands together, "Wonderful! Let us go and take your picture and get you a Pokédex." She hands me his pokéball and leads us back down the hallway.

Snips and Riolu make little noises at each other as we walk and I look down to see them invested in some conversation. I wonder how Snips knew that he would be the one…

Once back in the lobby we see the three kids from before. Kiki runs up to me with the Happiny still in arms, "Hey, miss! What Pokémon did you choose?"

I look behind me to see the Riolu close behind my legs and she looks around me to see him.

"That's so cool! You got a Lucario!" She squeals and the Happiny sings happily in her arms.

The little boy corrects her again, "That's a Riolu."

She rolls her eyes and then gets excited again, "I hope we can battle each other someday! Mini and I will destroy everything we battle." She smiles wide and then skips off to walk out with her friends.

Someone needs to keep an eye on that kid, I swear.

Fern leads me over the front desk and the man behind it helps me get my picture done and my card printed. Then Fern hands me the Pokédex, "This came all the way from Alola. It does not have the Rotom, though it does all the same functions. I hope this device will help you on your travels and I hope you can help us here by giving us interesting information on Pokémon."

"Thank you," I say and hug the good Professor. When I pull back, I put the Pokédex in my bag and look down at Riolu, "Do you mind going back into your pokéball?"

The short Pokémon gives a nod and I put him inside with a flash of light, then put him in my bag. I wave goodbye to Professor Fern and scoop up Snips. We leave the lab and I pet her in the basket and ride off home.

"Omg, Snips, I did it," I say as I swing out my legs and let the bike carry us, "I actually have my very own Pokémon. And strong one too!"

She meows back at me and I feel a rush of excitement. Mom went off on her Trainer adventure when she was 14. I'm 18 now, a bit late, but I can do this. I can't wait to prove to Mom and Dad that I'm ready. Working with Dad has helped me save up some money, I'm sure I can get some supplies for my travels. And getting another Pokémon as soon as possible would be good.

I slow down and stop as we make it to the house. I open the gate after I hop off the bike and walk it in. Snips jumps out and she runs up to door, waiting for me to open it for her. I smile at her as I open the door and she trots in, meowing her entrance.

"Hello!" Dad calls from the backyard.

I shut the door and rush over to back door and slip through the screen. He is tending his vegetables with his Poliwrath, Delta. Delta waves hello to me and Dad pulls off his gloves, "How did it go?"

I lace my fingers together and raise up on my toes and then back down, "I passed!"

He throws his hands up in fists, "THAT'S MY GIRL!"

I'm proud that I didn't flinch, he has great volume from his days on the sea, "I know! It's crazy!"

He gets up and hugs me then Delta hugs both of us and lifts us off the floor. Once we are on the ground again, he wraps an arm around my shoulders and leads me inside to the kitchen. Snips has taken her spot on the couch where the light hits and is happily napping.

"What Pokémon did you pick?" Dad lets go of me and leans up against the island.

I rummage through my bag and get Riolu's pokéball. Dad is going to be so surprised when he sees what I chose. I click the button and Riolu pops out with the flash.

Dad's eyes grow wide and he slowly sinks down to sit on the floor, "Oh my! He's beautiful."

I follow suit and sit criss-cross on the floor (making yourself smaller helps make new Pokémon feel less threatened), "I know right? Snips was the one who picked him for me."

He puts out a hand to let the small pup sniff him, "She's great at reading people and Pokémon…What do you think he's crossed with?"

"I'm not sure…maybe an Arcanine?" The stripes are the only real clear connection.

"It does look like he might have some Arcanine in him." Dad thinks aloud.

Riolu looks over at me with big curious eyes and then looks at Delta. He takes a small step back in uncertainty, but Delta just gives out his happy cry and raises his fists like a wrestler who just won a match. Riolu takes the gesture well and cautiously moves closer to the big frog to investigate him more. We watch Riolu and Delta interact from our seats on the floor. I'm not sure how much socialization Riolu has gotten before today. He seems pretty chill though, no nipping or growling. Working at the Day-Care, you get used to seeing some Pokémon who don't know how to interact with others. But he seems to be a pro already.

"Do you know if they fed him today?" Dad gets up slowly as not to scare my new companion.

"I'm not sure." I admit, "Oh! Do you we still have some of that jerky? I'm sure he'll love that."

He goes over to the cabinet next to the fridge and digs around until he pulls out a container and pulls out the bag of pork jerky I begged Mom to buy for us at the store the other day. Then he sits back down in his spot and hands a piece of the dried meat to me.

Ok, time of truth. "Hey, buddy!" I call and Riolu walks over curiously, "You hungry?"

I hold out the yummy pork and he gently takes it from my hand, eyes shifting up and down between the meat and my gaze. He then plops himself down on the floor and goes to town. I smile as I see him eat freely around us. Sometimes new Pokémon will go into a different room to eat food when they first eat around others, I've heard stories about how long it took Snips to be able to eat in the same room as Mom and her family. Now she freely takes food from plates!

Dad laughs and shakes his head, "I can't believe you went with a Fighting Type."

I smile like a dork, "I know right? Who would have ever guessed?"

Riolu pulls hard on his treat, breaking it in two pieces and then holds out the new piece for me to take. My heart hurts! He already wants to share his treat.

"Thank you," I coo with a melted heart and take his offering.

He barks with delight and watches as I happily eat the salted pork. Food sharing is a big deal in the Pokémon world. It shows trust and a nurturing behavior in Pokémon. My Dad and I have had to eat a lot of half eaten things at work. I'm pretty sure we're immune to a ton of illnesses from sharing food with Pokémon.

Delta gives out a cry of hunger that makes Dad and I laugh. Dad tosses him a piece so that he doesn't feel left out. I've found out that Poliwraths actually have mouths, they just rarely ever open them. (Eating is one of the rare moments when you can catch a glimpse of their hidden chompers.) Dad then decides to eat a piece and we all share the happy moment.

I hear Snips jump off the couch and she makes her way over to us. She rubs up against Delta and Riolu then sits down with us and begins to wash her face with her paw. I gently stroke her back as she goes about her business. It's strange to think that if- no, when- I leave, she won't be coming with me. I mean, I've gotten a lot better and I can function perfectly without her, but it feels weird that I won't have her as my safety tether. Now I have Riolu, my beautiful child.

"Your mother is going to be so excited when she gets home," Dad shoves another piece of jerky in his mouth.

I giggle, "She's going to flip."

"Hey, why don't you and Riolu help us in the garden?" Dad suggests.

So Riolu and I help Dad and Delta with the garden. And by helping, I mean Delta shows Riolu around the backyard while Dad and I prune the summer vegetables and laugh about the girl with her Happiny. Once we're done with pruning we take a seat in the chairs that sit on the back porch and watch the two Pokémon play fight.

Delta makes sure to keep Riolu away from the garden beds (we've had some mishaps with the beds before) as they fight. Riolu is obviously smaller than the big frog, but he shows no hesitation in attacking the bigger Pokémon. I also notice that Riolu is completely silent as they fight. It's not uncommon for some Pokémon to be quiet when they fight, but most make some sort of noise or cry- especially when play fighting. Delta gives out happy noise that resembles laughing as they go back and forth.

"Is that a new Pokémon or are my old eyes deceiving me?" a voice calls from the right side of our yard.

Delta stops and waves at our elderly neighbor. Riolu stops as soon as he does and looks over curiously.

I get up and wave, "Hello, Miss Yumi! C'mon Riolu, let's go say hi."

He follows me inside the house and then out the front door. Miss Yumi shuffles out of front door and we jog over to greet her.

"Good morning," she holds my hands in hers, "Who is your new friend?" She looks over at Riolu.

"This is my Riolu, I got him this morning when I passed my Trainer test."

"Ryu? What a beautiful Pokémon," she lets go of my hands and gently pets the top of his head.

Ryu? I didn't have a clue what to name him, but I guess that works lol.

Ryu closes his eyes happily as she pets him, "Why don't you two come in and have some treats?"

"We would love to," I say as she leads us into her house.

Her house is older than ours and you can totally feel it when you walk in. Framed pictures of her and her family hang on every wall and tons of little knick-knacks cover every available flat surface. Her Ninetales lifts her head from her place on the floor as we walk into the closed off living room. Most of her face has silvered with her old age, but she's still a gorgeous Pokémon. Miss Yumi sits us down on the couch that sits next to the windows that look over the front yard and shuffles deeper into the house to get us treats.

"Are you ok with the name Ryu?" I look over at my Pokémon.

He barks happily and then leans his head up against my arm. I smile like the proud mom that I am and pet his head. The Ninetales gets up and stretches her back then elegantly walks over to us. She lays her head on my lap and waits for me to pet her too.

I giggle, "Don't worry, I have two hands." I move to get a better position and begin to pet her with my right hand and pet Ryu with my left hand.

Miss Yumi laughs at my situation when she comes back with a tray of assorted drinks and foods. She places the tray down on the short coffee table in the middle of the living room and gently shoos the Ninetails away. "Leave the girl alone. You get enough love from Noriko and me."

The Ninetails squints in annoyance but does as she's told and goes back to her spot on the floor with a huff. Yumi sits down on one of the mats around the short table and I follow suit. Ryu gets off the couch and sits down next to me at the end of the table while looking at both of us with curiosity. The old woman opens a porcelain jar and takes out a Poffin, places it on a fancy little plate and puts it in front of Ryu. He consumes it all almost immediately which makes her smiles with pride. She then places out treats for the both of us and pours us some of her famous fruit punch.

She talks about her days as a trainer and how her Ninetales trekked all over Sinnoh. And a while later Noriko joined us around the table with her Dragonite. The three Pokémon moved away from our table so that they could talk and play together.

My watch goes off and I see a message from Dad:

Off to the Day-Care to help with rowdy Pokémon. Have fun with the neighbors!

I text back a Pikachu thumbs-up emoji and end up with Yumi and Noriko for the rest of the afternoon. They are such entertaining people who've had such fulfilling lives. They have traveled near and far, have met so many unique people, and have lived their best lives. In all honesty, I would love to become someone like them. Hopefully, I will start my journey soon and when I grow old I can be just like them.

Once my watch says 3 o'clock, we say goodbye to the nice old ladies and walk back home. Mom usually gets home around this time. I can't wait for her to meet Ryu.

"Did you have fun with the other Pokémon?" I ask him as we reach the front door.

He looks up at me with those bright red eyes and barks cheerfully. Look at my boy, my wonderful baby boy. As we walk in we are greeted by Mom's Fearow, Nova. I put a hand on the back of her neck and stroke from her comb to the end of her beak with my other hand. She makes a happy chattering sound by clicking her beak rapidly. Ryu sniffs her cautiously as she makes the strange sound.

I overhear Mom talking in the kitchen and I kneel down in front of Ryu, "I want to surprise Mom, can you stay over here until I call you over? They are in the kitchen." I make sure to keep my voice low, Mom has ears like a Zubat.

He nods and sits down. I cover my mouth to keep me from laughing at his cuteness. I love him so much. I smile and give him a thumbs up then stand up and walk over to the kitchen. Dad has his back turned to me as Mom talks about her day at work.

"Hey!" she smiles and stands next to Dad, "How did it go?"

I pause to add to the effect, "…I passed!"

"That's my baby!" she yells with excitement and bear hugs me. "I knew you would do great."

I smile and feel my happiness make my vision blurry. Keep it together! No need to cry.

She pulls away and wipes her eyes, "Which Pokémon did you choose?"

"Snips kinda picked for me, el-oh-el," I giggle, "Ryu, you can come in now."

His nails clack against the wood floors as he trots over to us.

Mom gasps as she kneels down, "A Fighting Type? I would have never guessed."

He sniffs her outreached hand, "I know right? Snips decided that he was the one, so I'm guessing that we were meant to be." After letting her pet him he comes over and stands next to me, gently leaning on my leg.

"We need to celebrate," Mom stands up and walks over to the fridge, "I could make those steaks-"

"YES!" Dad and I yell in perfect, enthusiastic unison.

Mom laughs helplessly at her meat-loving family and the three of us get to work. We dance around each other as we all do our induvial jobs: I mix spices together to put on the yummy meat, Dad tenderizes the steaks, and Mom gets the grill pan ready. Mom is the master griller in the family as Dad tends to let things burn. I can't cook for shiz, so I just help prep food.

\--

After cooking and eating a delicious meal, Dad puts our plates away, "Hey, kiddo, do you mind helping me with something in the garage?"

Mom tries to hide a smile under her napkin and I look over at Dad with a confused face, "Uh, yeah." I excuse myself from the table, push in my chair and follow him to the garage door.

"Stay here, I need to go get it," Dad says as he turns on the garage lights and slips into his boots.

"I thought I was helping you in the garage?"

He smiles, "I lied a little." Then he disappears to the left, out of my view.

Ryu joins me at the door and we listen to him move things and grunt as he picks something up. He then reappears with a big wrapped round thing in his arms.

"Surprise!" He smiles big and holds out the mysterious thing.

Ryu and I share a confused look as I take the thing from him. It's hella heavy and cold. Wait- Round, heavy, cold.

"Oh my god, is this an egg??" I unwrap some of the towels around it and see the softly textured egg underneath. I make a soft squeaking noise in pure joy and sit down on the floor.

Dad follows me and Ryu sniffs eagerly at the egg. We unwrap it and I study its markings. It's a soft blue color with two yellow-cream colored bands that meet together in a ‘v' shape. Omg.

I cover my mouth with my hands in my excitement, "Oh-em-gee, is this a Totodile egg?"

He beams, "It is! Do you remember that Feraligatr that came in a few months ago?" I nod, she was beautiful, "She had a couple of eggs and I asked to keep one. I was waiting to give it to you."

"Oh my god, thank you!" I lean over and hug him. Feraligatr is one of my favorite starters, Torterra being number one.

I pull away and gather up the egg and its wrappings. We all walk into the living room and I go straight to the lamp next to the couch. I take the towels off then hold the egg over the top of the lamp. The light shines through the egg, letting us see into it. The dark orange shape in the middle is curled up, but you can clearly see a tail and limbs. There are a few veins on the sides of the egg, but the bright yellow around the top of the egg indicates that the air pocket is steadily growing. I'm not super good at gauging time, but this egg seems fairly close to getting ready to hatch.

Mom comes over to join us, "Would you look at that? Not much longer until it hatches."

"Did you know about the egg?" I ask.

She smiles an unconvincing innocent smile, "I had no idea that we had an egg in our garage refrigerator."

We share a small laugh and Ryu stands up on the couch to get a better view.

"This is going to be your new sibling," I smile as he places his paws on the egg.

He stares intently at the egg when his eyes suddenly flash bright white then go back to normal. Dad, Mom, and I look at each other in shock. My boy knows Mind Reader. Ryu barks happily at the egg and then looks over at us.

"Snips didn't hold back on choosing a Pokémon for you," Dad laughs in disbelief.

"Yeah, no kidding." I laugh back and then begin to rewrap the egg. Ryu helps the best he can by smoothing the towels over any exposed areas. "Can we go up to my room?" I ask my parents.

Mom kisses my forehead, "Of course. We might some have ice cream later if you would like to join us."

I nod, "I will definitely join you guys for some ice cream. C'mon, Ryu, let's go upstairs."

He jumps off the couch and follows me to the staircase in the left corner of the living room. We walk up and go through the tiny hall that leads to the sunroom, then we go into the bedroom on our left. I go to my bed, which sits far right corner, and place the egg down so that it can start warming up. I sit down next to it and watch Ryu as he roams around smelling and looking at everything. I wonder if he's ever been a room before, like a bedroom. Or maybe this is his first time being in a house?

Once he gets past my closet he stops at the steps that lead to the mini sunroom I have in the back of my room. He looks over at me as if he's not sure if he's allowed back there and stands there nervously. Smiling, I get up and walk up the two steps to my sunroom and show him that it's ok. Once he sees me happy he allows himself up the steps and continues his sniffing. I take a seat at my cushioned window sill and look over the backyard. Ever since moving out here, my eyes have really opened up to the nature around me. There is so much magic in everything around us, but most people don't stop to notice it.

A little whine takes me away from the view and to Ryu who is now standing next to me. I smile and pull my legs in to make room for him to sit with me. He hops up on and we both look out the window and watch the sky change color as the sun slowly sinks behind me.

"It's just going to be you and me, little dude," I break our silence, catching the attention of the small pup, "We're going to go travel the world, just like Mom and our neighbors. We're going to take out the Sinnoh Elite Four and then go on to…oh, I don't know. We can choose when we get there."

His bright red eyes glow with determination and he agrees with a bark.

I smile like a dork, "Tomorrow we can talk to Mom and Dad about leaving and then we'll be off in no time. And I mean, who can take out an awesome Fighting-type like you? We'll be unstoppable!" He barks and awoos with excitement and I join in with my own whoop and holler.

Let's do this.


	2. F is for Friends who do stuff together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to warn that there is moderate injury in this chapter! Nothing too graphic, I promise! :D

The morning after I became a trainer I talked to Mom and Dad about going off on my own, and they encouraged my decision. The plan was to start off small. I would go north from our own little town to Floaroma city. It’s only about a day’s walk, so it’s the perfect way to get practice. Then when I get there I can decide if I want to keep going or if I want to come back home; super easy. Mom called in sick and stayed home with me to help me pack for my trip.

She ended up giving me a bunch of stuff she used to use when she traveled around. In the end, I got: her old PokéGear, cute hiking backpack that’s Rhyhorn and Rhydon themed, an Altaria feather sleeping bag, foldable water bottle with a Kingdra logo on it, a towel that reminds me of a Shamwow, and Magcargo themed lighter.

She also managed to shove six whole outfits, along with everything else, into the backpack. (I had to fold two of the six outfits so I knew how to do later on.) We went over some of the lesser known etiquettes of battles, like how you can forfeit at any time, though you still have to pay. Or how you can flat out refuse a battle if there is a chance of catching a forest on fire, falling off a cliff, or anything else like that. Or how if your Pokémon faints or gets hurt you have to get them in the pokéball as quickly as possible, if not then you have to make sure their breathing is stable and then put them in the capsule. If you put a Pokémon in a pokéball while it’s hurting badly you can make it scared—and a scared Pokémon can hurt itself more, even if it’s in a pokéball.

With a bit of finagling and five tutorial videos later, we also managed to sync up her old PokéGear to my Xtransceiver. That saves me from having to carry around a physical map and now I don’t have to talk into my wrist when someone calls me. (Speaking of which I need to call Marina.) She also gave me some money and things to trade when I get to the city.

When Dad came home from work he managed to find some of his old ration packs from his days on the sea. He gave them to me to take on my trip since they are very easy to make and taste pretty good…or at least that’s what Dad says. He also brought home one of the egg slings we use at the Day-Care for me. It’s padded for the wearer and has a thermal lining to help keep the egg heated. With spring in full swing, hatching the egg should be no trouble.

We had a celebratory dinner last night. Everyone was emotional. But it wasn’t as bad as breakfast. There were a ton of tears and hugs. Mom kept telling me how proud she was of me and Dad kept reminding me to call them every day. I kept in as much of my sadness as possible, but after we left for the trip Ryu kept nudging me and leaning on me. It took me a while to realize that he was trying to comfort me, I had almost completely forgotten that Riolus can sense auras and stuff.

We left around ten something and now it’s almost twelve. I see someone walk towards us and I feel my heart start pumping. Just remember what we’ve learned. Battles aren’t that bad…right? The person smiles and nods their hat as us as we pass. I smile back nervously, but they just keep walking. I let out a breath of relief and pet Ryu between his alert ears. He looks up at me and gives out a reassuring noise.

“We got this.” I smile down at him and then place a hand on the egg in front of my stomach.

As we go I look up to see a flock of Staraptor fly above us and Ryu watches them in awe. I wonder if Pokémon ever wish they were another type of Pokémon. The road bends right and then goes up a hill, at the top is Route 204. We should probably stop for lunch before we hit 204.

“Hey, buddy, are you hungry?” I stop and shift my backpack.

He nods back and we pull over to the side of the road. I take the backpack off and then gently take off the sling to place the egg down on the ground. I stretch my back and then plop myself down and begin rummaging through the backpack to find the food. I pull out two random packs and check to see if at least one is Pokémon food. Satisfied with my picks, I open up his and hand him the bag. He sniffs it cautiously and then carefully places his paw inside to grab some of the kibbles. I read the back of mine, place the packaged spoon on my leg, and follow the directions.

I rip off the top and pour in some water and puff it out so that it can stand on its own and place it on the ground. Ryu and I watch in awe as steam begins to escape the top. How long do I leave it like this? I lean forward and read the back to check the time again. 5 minutes. I wonder how these packs work. I’m sure there is some crazy chemical reaction that happens when I pour the water in. Dang…I didn’t even check which meal I picked. I hope it’s good lol.

I listen to the wind in the trees as I wait for my mystery meal to cook, it sounds vaguely like the ocean. I miss the ocean. We need to go to the ocean someday. The smell of the cooking food floats around us and adds to the serene effect. I gently blow into the bag to try and cool it off. I pick up it by the tips of the sides and look inside it; brown soupy liquid on top of rice. Curry! Maybe Dad wasn’t overselling the tastiness of these things…I open the spoon and get myself a bite of the curry. I blow it off before I burn myself and then try it. The flavor is much better than I thought it would be. I turn to Ryu and smile at him as he enjoys his food.

We sit in peaceful silence and eat happily with each other. Ryu shares some of this Pokémon food with me and I gladly take it from him. Pokémon food is very organic and safe for humans to eat, though I wouldn’t recommend it as a primary food source for someone. There are actually tons of stories of Trainers who’ve survived because they ate their Pokémon’s food when they were stranded/lost or were stuck in hard conditions. So it never hurts to have some on you. In return for him sharing with me, I offer him a bite of my food and he gobbles it up. We finish up our food with no rush and pack up.

I throw away our trash in the trash cans set up on the side of the road. Most roads have trash cans to help prevent littering. Once we reach the top to the hill I take a small rest as the egg and the backpack are starting to really take a toll on my back. As I rest, Ryu follows an Oddish as it walks across the road. He keeps a careful distance but sniffs it to no end with his ears pricked up in an alert fashion. I giggle as I watch him inspect the small walking plant.

“Battle me!” a voice shouts.

Ryu stops his inspection and we both look at the owner of the voice. A young, maybe twelve or thirteen-year-old boy comes running up Route 204 with a Luxio at his side. Once he makes it to us he bends over to catch his breath. Ryu walks over next to me with his full attention on the Luxio. He straightens up once his breath is back and has a delighted smile on his face.

I look down at Ryu who is focused on the newcomer, “Sure, let’s battle. One Pokémon.”

He fist pumps the air with excitement and takes his place across the road from us with his Pokémon, “Oh yeah!”

I kneel down to Ryu and take off my backpack, “Ok, buddy, you ready? Our first battle! I’m not too sure what moves you have, but I can learn right now. And we can stop at any time.”

Breaking his gaze with the newcomers for the first time, he looks at me with those red eyes. He barks with confidence and places his paws on my hands. I smile at him and stand up to face our challengers. After the boy is done psyching up his Pokémon, we meet each other in the middle of the road.

“The name’s Finnian,” he offers his hand with a wide grin, “I’m going to become the Champion of all the regions!”

I can’t help but smile at his enthusiasm, “Nice to meet you, I’m Lenore,” I shake his hand, “You ready to wager?”

“Born ready,” his grip gets tighter.

“Three…two…one!” we both count down.

“One seventy!”   “One hundred thirty!”

We both shout our wagers at the same time. This is how Trainers decide on how much money the winner of the battle gets. Most people go with the lower amount, but the number can be negotiated if one or both of the Trainers are unhappy.

He nods thoughtfully, “One thirty is good. Let’s go!”

We go back to our spots across the road and get our Pokémon in front of us. Ryu keeps quiet while the boy's Luxio meows and crackles in anticipation. Since this is my first battle, I’ll keep quiet and let Ryu do his thing. Once I get a bearing on what he knows, then I can jump in and start making the calls.

“Volt, spark ‘em!” the boy yells.

Volt charges at Ryu as she builds up electricity around herself. Ryu dodges as she shoots the built-up electricity and gets some distance between them. He keeps his fists up, just like Delta does when they play fought. Volt charges again with crackling electricity and Ryu keeps distance. That’s when I see his eyes glow. This time he leads and he lunges himself at her, nailing a solid Bite to her side. She shocks him at the same time but he holds on tight. Only when she stops does he let go and both back away from each other.

Finn furrows his brows in thought and shouts, “You got this, Volt! Tackle him!”

With her Trainer’s encouragement, Volt hits Ryu and Tackles him to the ground.

“Bite!” I yell in a panic.

Ryu snaps at Volt’s neck, trying his best to land a hit, but she jumps off him to dodge his attack. He gets back up on his feet with his fists up and ready. Holy crap this is stressful. Now I know why Mom works at a retirement home. Ryu’s doing great though, I might not even have to help him that much. Ryu gives out a bark, the first sounds he’s made this entire time, and I see him looking at me from the corner of his eye.

Oh my god, I forgot about his Mind Reader. Bruh, this is going to fun. He gives out another happy bark and I smile with pure glee. Volt races to him to try and get him down again, but Ryu gets out of the way. Then he moves with such speed that only after he hits her do I realize that he moved. His Quick Attack staggers the Luxio, and you can see that she’s breathing harder. We might actually win this battle. He goes for another one and she falls!

I hold my breath as she gets back up and lunges at him again. She Tackles him as he goes for a Bite. Both collide at the same time causing both to go down. She tries a couple of times to get back up but is too weak to get back on her feet. Ryu struggles as well, but finally gets back up on his feet.

We won.

Holy crap, we won!!

Ryu looks over at me in confusion and I rush over and pick him up, “You did it! We won!” He barks with delight and hugs me around the neck.

The kid uses a Super Potion on Volt and pets her head, “You guys are strong!”

“You guys are too! Thank you for our first battle,” I put Ryu down and walk over with an extended hand.

He shakes it, “Your first battle? Well…you know we went easy on you two.” He acts all tough and does the ‘cool guy’ nose swipe. Even Volt goes along with it and lifts her chin haughtily.

I smile at their theatrics, “Of course.”

He pulls his hand back and retrieves a money pouch from one of his short’s pockets. He counts out our agreed amount, then holds it out for me. Only to take it back with suspicious eyes and counts it again just to make sure he has the right amount. Once satisfied that he counted correctly, he holds it out for me again.

“Thank you,” I nod as I take the money.

“You can also have this!” he goes to a different pocket and pulls out a Nest Ball.

“Oh! Are you sure?” That is too kind of him to do.

He laughs, “When you catch a Pokémon with it, you’ll remember that this Champion gave it to you. Call it a gift.” He continues with his ‘cool guy’ act.

Having the chance to catch another Pokémon is a good idea, with having a single Pokémon and an egg. “Thank you, Finn. I hope to bump into you and Volt later on.” I take his gift.

“Ha, us too! Next time we won’t go easy on you two!” he grins wide.

Ryu barks and I laugh, “We can’t wait.”

And with that, they rush off up the road. I pack everything up in the backpack, get the sling on, and then put the pack on. This smile won’t leave my face, we won our very first battle! I rub Ryu between the ears and he looks up at me with eyes bright with excitement. We continue our way up Route 204.

As the dirt path turns into an actual paved road, I decide to try and avoid as many Trainers as possible, “C’mon, Ryu, let’s go around the main road. There are probably a ton of trainers there, I would like to make to Floaroma in one piece.”

He nods and we enter the forest. With only one Pokemon, the odds aren’t really in my favor at the moment. And though Ryu is great, I would prefer to be on the safer side. As we go, Weedle and other bugs watch us from their hiding places in the shade. Please don’t let there be Beedrills here, they are one of the most terrifying Pokémon to meet in the wild.

“I can’t wait to get to town, they have a new Day-Care center there,” I smile at the thought of seeing all new equipment.

Ryu looks at me with a tilted head.

Of course, he’s never been to one! “Day-Cares are places where Pokémon can go while their owners are away. We usually get eggs,” I point to the one I’m holding, “and other younger Pokémon, but any and all can come. I’ll take you there so you can check it out.”

He ears perk up and barks with excitement, I join in with my own whoop.

The nice level ground soon begins to angle up sharply and I begin to regret leaving the road. Sinnoh is very hilly and rocky in geography, and by not going through the cave that connects the southern and northern parts of Route 204, I’ve made more work for myself. Yay.

Starly and Staravia watch us from trees as we hike up the side of the steep hill. Ryu stays close to me as I struggle to find stable footing. The trees have receded at this point and shrubs and other small low plants are left. Of course, I would make more work for myself. It’s going to be a _miracle_ if we make it to Floaroma by nightfall. I stop to catch my breath and find us at the bottom of a drop-off. I’m no professional rock climber so…I guess we’ll just have to go around it and find a better incline to scale.

“Ryu, remind me not to leave the main road ever again,” I huff as we carefully follow the cliff face.

He gives a small wuff in agreement. I take another step, then hear an angered yell as the rock beneath my foot turns out to be a small Geodude. The suddenness of its movement and my own shock causes me to lose my footing and I fall.

Shiz.

I hug my egg as I fall sideways down the hill. Ryu lets out a terrified yelp as I go. I see everything in real time slow motion, I manage to hit the ground on my backpack and begin to slide down the hill upside down. Clinging on to the egg for dear life, I close my eyes and scrunch up into a ball.

I tumble for what seems like forever until I hit something hard and stop, “Oof!”

I dare open my eyes and see slowly rising dust all around me. I move my head to try and look around and feel leaves and prickly branches poke me. Somehow I managed to get a shrub lodged between my back and my backpack. I lift my head up and look at the hill I just slid down. Laying upside at this angle is terrifying.

Once Ryu catches sight of me through the dust, he begins to pace and whimper with his ears drawn back.

“I’m ok!” I call out in my calmest tone, though it’s hard when the adrenaline is still pumping and I’m breathing hard, “I’m ok! Just a little stuck.”

Calm down. I’ve been through worst. This is ok. I relax my legs and let them rest on the ground. I keep my arms around the egg to keep it from slipping out of the sling. Rocks begin to tumble past me and I look up to see Ryu making his way to me, whimpering as he goes.

“It’s ok, buddy. I’m ok,” I reassure him, even though I can feel pain creeping up on me.

He makes it to me and he paces around as he tries to figure out what to do.

“Hey,” he stops and looks at me, “Can you hold this?” I carefully take the egg out of the sling.

He gently takes it from my hands. He held it a lot back at home, I trust him to hold it while I attempt to get out of this awkward position. If I can get my arms out of the straps, I should, theoretically, be able to just sit upright. I painstakingly get my arms free, but when I try to sit up, I slide down into a very uncomfortable neck squishing position. Shiz. I can’t breathe. In a panic, I fling my legs over to the side which causes me to a horrible over-the-shoulder roll and slide down the hill a foot or so.

Jesus Christ. Who needs the skin on their shins and knees? Apparently not me. That stupid summersault almost killed me. I try to stand up but promptly fall back down. I’m shaking. I’ll just stay here then.

Ryu whimpers even more and carefully makes his way to me.

“It’s ok, Ryu. Your Trainer just so happens to be the biggest klutz on the planet.” I let out a small painful laugh to try and lighten the mood as I shift my position so that my legs are extended out in front of me.

He stops whining, but his ears are still down.

“Can you get the water off the backpack?” I point up at the bag that lowkey just saved my butt, “It’s the blue thing on hanging right there on the left side.”

He nods and climbs back up, the egg still in hand. Once at the bush he gently places the egg down on the ground and begins to fiddle with the water bottle off the strap. I should have told him to leave the egg with me—wait…where is the sling? I look around widely for it only to realize that it’s still around me. I look back up to check on Ryu, he’s struggling with the metal clip that it hangs off of.

Suddenly he stops, ears erect. He turns and looks at the trees at the bottom of the hill. Is it a person or a Pokémon? I squint to try and make out what he sees in the trees. Then he begins to make his way down the hill, towards the mysterious thing. Panic hits me as I remember that the egg is still up there and I’m in no condition to stand up right now.

“Ryu…?” I call, though he’s too fixated on the mysterious thing, “Ryu!”

He continues his way down to the bottom and then disappears into the woods. My heart is pounding so hard, tears blur my vision and burn my throat. Should I try and go get him? Should I get the egg? Will he come back? Can I get up? What if he gets hurt?

I close my eyes. Clam the fudge down. He didn’t abandon you. He’ll come back, he’s a good boy. And remember, he can see auras and stuff, he’ll be careful. I wipe my eyes with the back of my hands and then look at my hands. The fatty parts near my thumbs are scraped up the most, but my palms are all streaked with red. In a creepy way it kinda looks cools, but the pain takes away any fun. It reminds of that time I was painting a sign for the Day-Care and I let the red paint dry on my hands. I thought it looked cool. Mom nearly died when I came home and she thought I hurt myself. I move on to my legs and see the same red streaks. They are long, plentiful, and bleeding. I’m a mess.

Before I can try and get up again, I hear barking. It’s not Ryu, the bark is too yappy sounding to be him. I look at the trees where Ryu disappeared and wait as the barking gets closer and closer. A Herdier bursts through the tree line with Ryu right behind him. He has a bright orange bandana tied around his neck and he continues to yap as Ryu leads him up to me. No more than three seconds later a boy runs out of the woods.

“Oakley!” he yells up at his dog. His confused face turns concerned when he sees me and he quickly scales the hill behind the two Pokémon, “Oh goodness!”

The two dogs reach me and the Herdier begins to sniff me and everything around me. I hug Ryu, thankful that he came back and that he brought help.

The boy makes it to us and he swings his backpack off and sits down on his knees, “Are you ok? Did you break anything?”

I shake my head, “Nothing is broken, just a bunch of scrapes and bruises.”

He flips up the top flap of his bag and pulls the drawstring open. He pulls out a mini pokéball, presses it to expand it to normal size, and lets out an Azumarill in a bright red flash. She shakes herself out and gets a grasp of the situation.

“Dewey, use Bubble Beam,” the guy instructs as he pulls out various berries.

She hops over to me and gently blows bubbles onto my legs and hands. When they touch my skin they pop and the water cleans my injuries. I bite the inside of my cheeks to keep myself from vocalizing my pain. After she’s done cleaning me I gently fan my legs with my hands to try and reduce the sting. She copies me and I smile at her in thanks. The guy pulls out a collapsible bowl and opens it. He begins to smash the berries he pulled out together into the bowl until they make a mushy paste. He scoots closer to me and gingerly begins to spread the berry paste on my scrapes. I continue to fan as the stinging intensifies.

“I’m sorry for the pain,” he says tenderly, “May I have your hands?”

I offer them to him and he puts the paste on my palms, “Thank you so much for your help.”

He smiles at me, “Of course.”

The sound of growling causes us to look up and see Oakley wrestling my backpack, trying with all his might to get it free of the bush. Ryu stands with him with the egg in his arms.

“Oakley!” the boy quickly gets up and rushes to his feisty Pokémon. He pulls Oakley off my bag and carefully untangles it from the branches of the plant. They all then make their way back to Dewey and me.

He gently places my bag next to me and Ryu sits down with me. Trying my best to not rub off the paste on my hands, I take the sling off and let Ryu put the egg inside of it. I rest it in between my legs and take a good look at my backpack. The thing looks barely fazed from the fall. (The Pokémon theming was not just for looks.) It defiantly took the fall way better than I did.

The boy rummages through his bag and pulls out a first-aid box. He picks the two biggest bandages and opens their seals. They are roughly the size of my palms once he unfolds them. He takes a moment to try and strategically place them on my legs so that they cover most of my wounds. Once satisfied, he gently lays down the thick gauze and pulls out a mini roll of medical tape from the box. He tapes each bandage best he can with the limited amount of tape he has then leans back with a breath of relief.

I begin to open my backpack, “Here, let me give you something for helping us-”

“Oh, no no!” he protests as he begins to put his box back into his bag, “You don’t have to give us anything.”

This guy just saved us, I need to pay him back. “Let me at least pay for the berries you used-”

“No need! I have more berries than I know what to do with,” he tips his backpack towards me and I see that’s it filled to the brim with all kinds of berries.

“Why you have so many?” I notice Oakley licking his belly like a cat to get berry paste off of himself.

His face brightens, “I’m a berry farmer! Though nowadays I go around and tend to berries, sell them, and track them on the Berry Searcher App.”

“That is so cool!” I laugh, “I’ve never met a berry farmer before, I just assumed that you were a Trainer.”

He shakes his head and waves his hands, “Oh no. I’m not good at battling, I prefer watching.”

I nod my head, “I understand. I only just recently got into being a Trainer.”

“Really?” He looks at me with surprise.

I laugh again, “Yeah, Ryu is my very first Pokémon and this egg will be my second, whenever it hatches.”

His surprise turns into concern, “You’re traveling with only one Pokémon and an egg? While being a Trainer?”

Jesus, when you say it like that it really puts it into perspective. “Yeah…it does sound really stupid when you say it like that. I was supposed to just pop on up to Floaroma, but we got stopped by a Trainer. After that I decided to stay off the main road to try and avoid more battles, but-” I gesture to myself and let out a nervous laugh, “-obviously it didn’t turn out too well.”

“We are headed up to Floaroma as well.” he smiles in disbelief, “That is such a lucky coincidence! Well, not too lucky since you fell.”

I smile back, “The gods work in mysterious ways, maybe I was supposed to fall. What are you going to Floaroma for?”

“I’m going to sell some berries and send some gifts back home from the flower shop. How about you?”

“Well…I’m not sure yet. This is my first time traveling alone, so I’m not really sure what to do or where to go.” Geez, I probably sound like a fudging idiot to this poor boy.

“I understand the nerves of traveling by yourself for the first time,” he smiles empathetically, “I’m sure you’ll figure it out by the time you get there. Have you been there before?”

I nod, “Oh, yeah. My parents and I would come up for picnic days.”

His smile brightens, “Then that’s even better! I love coming to Floaroma, it is so beautiful and calming. It’s the only place where Oakley won’t run amok and bark at everything.”

Oakley huffs in protest and we both laugh. I get a good look at him while we laugh. He seems to be around my age, warm olive brown skin, freckles, ashy brown hair, and green eyes. Like, after-it-rains-and-all-the-plants-seem-to-jump-to-life green. Stop staring, you probably look really creepy. I look down at my legs and then to the egg. When will it hatch? What should I name it? How big will it be?

“I apologize, I don’t think I asked you what your name is,” his voice brings me back to the conversation, “My name is Miles.”

“I’m Lenore and this is Ryu.” I point over to him and he barks.

Miles smiles, “It’s a pleasure to meet you two formally. This is Oakley and Dewey. I have more Pokémon in my bag: Scarf, Buzzle, Magnus, and Hoppit.”

“Oh wow! You have a whole posse. I can’t wait to have a whole bunch of Pokémon,” I smile at the three of them. Well, dang. I won’t be getting anything if I just keep sitting here, “Speaking of which, we should keep going.”

I should be able to get up now, right? Only one way to find out for sure. I pull my legs towards me and I lift myself off the ground. It takes all of my strength not to cry out in pain as I make it to a standing position. I’m not sure why I thought that wouldn’t hurt as badly as it did. Ryu gets up with me and puts a paw on my hip in support.

Miles gets up with wide eyes, “Are you ok to walk?”

No. “Yeah! I should be ok,” I lie.

We’ll probably have to sleep in sleeping bags tonight and then get to town tomorrow morning. I reach over and grab the egg and ever so gently putting it on. Then I reach for my bag when Miles takes it.

“I can carry it for you,” he smiles.

“Are you sure? I can carry it-”

“Of course!” he puts it on frontwards and then puts his own bag on normally, “I’m a farmer, I can carry a lot of weight.” He smiles and flexes his arms.

I laugh, “Ok, farm boy. If it gets to bothersome, just tell me and I can carry it.”

He nods and we begin our way down the hill. I let him lead the way until we get to the bottom of the hill, then we walk side by side as our Pokémon walk in front of us. My legs hurt. It’s times like these when I wish towns and cities were close together. Stupid real life with real life distance and geography.

“Do you have any siblings?”

I look over at him, “Huh?”

He smiles gently, “Do you have any siblings?”

“Oh! Sorry…” I hesitate with my answer, “No. Do you?”

“Yes, five brother and sisters.”

“Oh wow! That’s crazy. Are you older or younger in the group?” I keep my eyes on the ground, trying to pay attention so that I don’t trip or twist an ankle.

“I’m the older middle child. Child number three.”

“Dang, that’s crazy. How do you deal with so many siblings?”

“It’s not easy, but we manage. We all have a system. Vicky works with the farm’s financial management. Milo, Vivian, and I are the primary farmhands. And Violet and Malik help Papa in the shop.”

I smile, “That sounds nice. Do the others go off and travel too?”

He nods, “Vicky and Vivian make trips to our family in Kanto every other month and Milo goes off to sell extra berries all the time.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“How about your family? What do your parents do?”

“My mom works at our towns Retirement Home and my dad works at the Day-Care. I used to work part-time at the Day-Care with him, but now I’m a Trainer.” I carefully step over a hole in the ground.

“Is that how you got your Riolu with such interesting markings?”

I laugh, “Oh no. I got him from the Professor in town. I have no idea where she got him.”

“I’ve never seen one like yours.”

I look at my wonderful boy, “Yeah, me too. I’m thinking that he has Arcanine in him since he has stripes.”

He shakes his head, “I don’t know a thing about breeding Pokémon. I understand berries and other plants, but Pokémon confuse me.”

I laugh, “I’m the opposite. At the Day-Care, I would take care of the eggs and we have these logs to keep track of which Pokémon laid the eggs and what the Pokémon’s traits were when it hatched. It’s so fascinating!”

“Tell me about it.”

“Tell you about it?” Sometimes I forget how nice people are out here, “Well, uh…There are certain rules, or at least patterns, that we’ve observed about breeding and eggs. For example, the Pokémon egg will always be the same species as the mother. Hatchlings can exhibit traits from both parents, but it will never be to the point where you can’t recognize what kind of Pokémon it is. So you can’t make up a whole new species by breeding.

“And another weird fact is that Pokémon have no sexual reproductive organs—eggs really do just magically appear. Which is really cool, but very unpredictable. We’ve had many unplanned eggs go through our Day-Care. And the number of eggs produced varies wildly with each Pokémon. Like, we had a Dodrio have eleven eggs while a Ditto only had one.”

“That is amazing! So if a Bibarel and Floatzel had an egg, the Bidoof could have a split tail like the Floatzel?” we make it to the main road.

I stop in the shade of the tree line, “Technically, yes. As long as the tail was like a normal Bidoofs, it could not have the same tail as the Floatzel.”

He nods in thought, “Mixed traits not replaced traits.”

“Yes!” I smile, proud that I could teach him a little about breeding.

He smiles back, “Thank you for educating me on that.”

“No problem, maybe you can tell me about plants?”

“I would love to-”

Thunder crashes awfully close to us. I jump at the deafening sound, the Pokémon let out sounds of surprise, and Miles reaches out protectively for me.

“Jesus Christ,” I whisper in fear as we all look down the road to see a battle in full swing.

A Zebstrika verses a Furfrou. The horse crackles so loud with electricity, the dog’s growls can barely be heard. The Trainers are too engrossed in the battle to notice us. We should move away from here, electricity is very unpredictable. You can feel it in the air, like during a thunderstorm.

“Let’s get in the cave,” Miles suggests.

We make our way to the cave and Ryu watches the battle intensely. The cracks of thunder outside echo hauntingly inside the empty cave and the flashes of light brighten our surroundings sporadically. To think, that could have been Ryu and I. A chill runs down my back at the thought of it.

“Are you ok?” Miles asks.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m good. It’s just cold in here.”

Which is not a lie. It is fairly cold in here compared to outside. Some Pokémon will go into caves during the summertime to cool off. (It doesn’t get too hot in Sinnoh during the summer, but it is still fairly warm.) We continue our trek to Floaroma though the cave. Ryu keeps close to me, his ears going in all directions listing to sounds us humans can’t hear. If you look up, you can see clusters of Zubats sleeping or scuttling around. Geodudes keep still near the walls and watch us as we pass through. Oakley sniffs everything as we go and yaps occasionally at random things.

It gets darker the further in we get, but there is enough light to see basic outlines of things around us. I hold Ryu’s paw and keep my other hand on Mile’s bag despite my pain. The cave is used a lot, so steps have been carved into the floor to help people as they walk upwards to get to the northern part of the Route 204. Now…there are steps, but that doesn’t mean they are good steps. Miles and I trip a couple of times on the uneven steps as we go up. Thankfully, neither of us fall.

Oakley lets out a loud yelp and suddenly Zubats are flying everywhere around us. I pull Ryu close to me to try and protect him. The sound of their flapping wings echo loudly, but their screeches are louder. We stay frozen until they all settle down. My heart pounds loudly. Who knew that getting swarmed by hundreds of bats could be so terrifying? We shuffle out of the cave as quickly as we can.

“Is Oakley ok?” I ask once we are out of the cave.

Miles kneels down and checks his companion, “Yes, he is fine. He was messing with a Geodude and it pulled his leg.”

I smile and let out a laugh, “I’ve only known your dog for a short while, yet that sounds completely like him.”

He stands up and smiles over at me, “It happens to him a lot. There a rest stop not too far from here. We can freshen up there and then find a good place to sleep for the night,” Miles suggests.

I nod, “That sounds like a good plan.”

And so we head off to the rest stop. Some rest stops are super fancy with lodging and food services. Some others are plain with some water fountains and bathrooms. The Route 204 one is plain. (They aren’t scary like camping bathrooms though, rest stops are well maintained and stocked.) Once at the rest stop, we use the bathroom and get water. I take the time to wash my hands thoroughly, clean skin heals better. Dewey sprays Oakley and Ryu with water as they run around and play. I smile as I watch them and put the sling back on, that’s when the egg moves.

“Oh my god!” I gush I hold the sling still in and wait for it to move again.

Miles rushes over, “Are you ok?”

The egg moves again and we both watch in awe. I giggle like a grade schooler and grab his hand and place it on the egg so that he can feel it if it moves again. Our Pokémon come over to investigate as we stand dead still holding the egg together. Come on, little dude, please move. We wait for what seems like forever and a day when it moves again. Miles’ face lights up and the Pokémon let out varies sounds of excitement.

“I’ll bet money that it’ll hatch tomorrow,” I beam with pride.

“Hopefully when we get to town and we can be ready for it,” Miles smiles with equal zeal.

With excitement, we find a place to make camp for the night. The rest stop is within sight from the tiny clearing we found in the woods. Miles sets up a fire while I set out our sleeping bags and Oakley chases Rattata away from our tiny camp. We unwind and eat dinner together as a group.

“Are you from Sinnoh?” I ask casually as I finish up my chili and macaroni ration.

He shakes his head, “No, my family is originally from Kalos. I lived here most of my life though. Where do you…come from originally?” Miles asks with slight hesitation.

Fear claims my gut, “What do you mean?”

“At first I thought I was mishearing you, but you say some of the strangest things. I travel around a lot but I’ve near heard anyone say some of the things you do,” his eyebrows scrunch together like a detective trying to connect the red string.

Oh, Jesus. I let a nervous laugh, “Let’s just say that I’m from Sinnoh.”

“So, you’re not from Sinnoh.” His tone makes it sound like a question as well as a statement.

I can’t tell him the truth. “It’s hard to explain. And you wouldn’t even believe me if I told you,” I let out a nervous laugh to try and relax, “It would be like me trying to convince you that ghosts exist.”

He says in the most sincere and genuine voice, “Who says I don’t believe in ghosts?”

Something about his response makes me feel safe in telling him the truth. I let a small sigh as I prepare myself to tell my crazy story, “I’m warning you, this is going to sound really crazy, but I’m not from here.” I point to the ground, “Like…I’m not from this planet—or dimension or whatever you want to call it. Where I come from, all of this-” I gesture to everything around us, “-is a video game. Kinda like the ones they give to kids in grade school.”

He nods with a nostalgic smile, “Yeah! The one that taught you about Pokémon and the regions.”

I nod back, happy that he gets it, “Exactly! Well…the games were similar to that game. Each region was a game where I came from, and it taught you only the bare minimum about Pokémon and typing and stuff like that. The whole goal was to be a Trainer, defeat the Elite Four and become the Champion. You didn’t learn any of the important things the game teaches you out here. The map was also really limited.

“Anyway, one day I was on the computer at school when a Porygon popped up on my screen. I thought it was a virus so I tried to shut down the computer but it stayed on the screen. Next thing I know I’m falling,” I stare past the fire into space as I remember how terrified I was, “I don’t remember hitting the ground or anything else about that day…But the people I now call my parents found me and took me to the doctors. They adopted me and helped me assimilate the best they could with the help of therapists and Professor Fern.

“And…here I am,” I pull myself from staring into space and look at him.

“It makes sense now,” he looks at me with soft concern.

“You actually believe me?” I’m almost lost for words.

“Of course,” his face grows more concerned, “Who you lie about something like that?”

People are generally more honest out here compared to back home. I let out a relieved laugh, “I don’t know. I just wasn’t expecting your reaction, sorry. You’re the first person I’ve ever told this too—besides my parents and the doctors, of course.”

“I can understand why,” he nods, “It must be hard to talk about.”

I shrug with a sad smile, “It’s ok now, I’ve been here for almost three years. But, you want to hear something stupid?”

“Tell me.”

“I get nervous when I go to bed because I’m scared that when I wake up I’ll find that this was all some weird dream or that I was in a coma,” I look at the ground as the fear creeps up on me.

He leans over and lays a gentle hand on my arm, “Even though I am ninety-nine percent certain that all of this is real if it turns out that this is all a dream, I am so happy that you created me.”

His kind smile and words really move me and to keep myself from crying I burst into laughter, “I’m sure you’re right, I’m just a worry wart.”

Ryu comes over to us and paws at my shoulder to get my attention. Dang…I guess I really can’t hide my emotions to an aura reading Poké.

I smile at him and pet his head with the back of my hand, “I’m all good, boy. Why don’t we go to bed? We have a super exciting day ahead of us.”

He nods and watches me with his bright red eyes. Miles collects Oakley and has Dewey put out our little fire. I get the egg, Ryu, and myself into our sleeping bag and watch Miles. He says goodnight to Dewey and puts her back into her pokéball. Then he clips Oakley’s bandana to his sleeping bag, much to his dismay, and tucks himself in. I turn onto my side and place my arm over the egg and Ryu. I shift my legs nosily to try and find a somewhat comfortable position.

Once satisfied I lay there in silence and look at my boy. I might not be what you call the best Trainer in the world, but I’ll try my best to take us far. I hope Mom and Dad had a good day. I miss them already. I miss Marina and Rueben too. I wonder where they are.

“Lenore?” Miles whispers.

“Yes?”

“Try not to worry about sleeping. Oakley will surely wake you up before anything can happen to you.” Oakley gives out a huff as if to prove a point.

A huge smile sweeps my face, “Thanks, I appreciate it. See you in the morning.”

“Sleep well.”

**Author's Note:**

> Holy bejesus, this is my first ever published fanfic lol! I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm trying my best :D


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